Picture Book Month Day 6: Ocean

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative 

that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. 

Visit the Picture Book Month website 

 

Picture Book Month Day 6 theme:Ocean

View the calendar here

Take a PEEK inside Down, Down, Down

“More humans have walked on the moon than have visited the deepest spot in the sea.” pg.1
This beautifully detailed picture book begins with a view from outer space looking down on our blue planet home and allowing us to imagine ourselves as part of a deep sea diving team traveling down through the deepest depths of an ocean world. Readers are introduced to three zones of the western Pacific Ocean and the life that lives within them. With every page turn, the background colors deepen to darker colors just as light struggles to reach the deeper depths of each zone. The deeper the depths, the more beautifully terrifying creatures lurk within a world hidden from human eyes.


Visit the creator of Down, Down, Down -Steve Jenkins

author & Illustrator Steve Jenkins biography

Ocean Literature connections-activities, books, kid friendly web sites:

Ocean animals printables
Origami sea creatures activities

Quick and easy project: Weave a Fish

Interactive activities:

Visit Cousteau Kids for ocean adventure activities. (Cousteau Kids Online)

Visit Ocean Life for Kids Interactive ocean life learning activities 

Watch out for those Creepy Carrots!-Picture Book Month Day 29

Picture Book Month Day 29 theme:Monsters

Find out more about Picture Book Month here

Download the daily themed Picture Book Month Calendar. 

Become a Picture Book Ambassador or Blogger

In trying to decide which monster book to write about today, I thought of my grandson and how he had nightmares after I read Creepy Carrots to him when he was two years old. The great thing is, he still loved the book and asked me to bring it home from my library time and time again. He even hid it in the secret hidey hole where he and his cousin hide their favorite toys. For us, creepy carrots are just as scary as Frankenstein.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

Illustrated by Peter Brown

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots.
He eats them on the way to school.
He eats them going to Little League.
He eats them walking home.
Until the day the carrots start following him…or are they?
It’s all fun and games  . . . until you get too greedy.

Make your own Creepy Carrots!

C
Creepy Carrots-Art Activity from Carla Johnson on Vimeo.

The Story of Babar

Visit: Picture Book Month website

Day 11 theme: Elephants

The Story of Babar

by Jean de Brunhoff

Take a look inside the book

The classic first story about literature’s most beloved pachyderm. After his mother is killed by a hunter, Babar avoids capture by escaping to the city, where he is befriended by the kindly Old Lady. He becomes educated and cultured and, upon his return to the great forest, is crowned King of the Elephants. Translated from Jean de Brunhoff's original French, the adventures of the world's most popular elephant and his friends have enchanted an three generations. Delightfully amusing illustrations make this short collection of classic Babar tales a book to treasure for children young and old.

Originally published in France in 1931 under the title Histoire de Babar and later published in 1933 by Random House in Britain and the United States, The Story of Babar by Jean De Brunhoff  has been a well loved children's story ever since. The story of Babar was first conceived by Jean de Brunhoff's wife who made up bedtime stories for her children about an elephant named Babar. Jean loved the stories so much that he developed Babar into a children's book. He created six Babar tales before passing away and his son Laurent continued the Babar stories throughout his own lifetime.

I read many Babar tales to my children when they were young and we also enjoyed the television and movies based on the character. Sometimes these older classics become forgotten as time passes yet Babar tends to live live long in our memories. It is said an Elephant never forgets, let's hope we never forget Babar.  

Elephant Trivia: If you are wondering why people say "An elephant never forgets" click here or here for some validation.

Babar Extras:

Babar and the Adventures of Badou

Meet Babar characters, play games, watch videos, or make crafts 

Pre-Kinder-Kinder Arts Integrated Babar Lesson Plan

Elephant themed lesson plans with Babar focus and elephant crafts

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominees-2010-2011

I have been so wrapped up in organizing lesson plans for upcoming Texas Bluebonnet Award nominated books that I have neglected my poor ole Bookegg Blog. Each school year, Texas students in grades 3-6 read from a selection of twenty high quality children's books and vote on their favorite. Students must read a minimum of five of the nominated books to be eligible to participate in the Texas Bluebonnet Award voting process. Books are nominated by a panel of librarians, teachers, students, and parents. View the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list for 2010-2011 and learn more about the TBA program.

This upcoming school year's crop of Bluebonnet books are terrific! I was disappointed at first, classically judging a few of the books by their covers. Boy was I wrong! I have been so amazed by the beauty of 14 Cows for America and really kept hope alive in Home of the Brave. I am predicting both Mudshark and Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet to be kid favorites. The sweet story of Sparrow Girl is one of my top contenders too. This crop is ripe for learning opportunities. Take a look at a wikispace web site that I designed to help me present Bluebonnet Books to my students. Kids Book Club Click on the 2010-2011 Bluebonnet Book Club link on the left side of the page. Lots of video clips and story connection activities. Share what you have with me and take what you need from me. Collaboration is a great tool. (bluebonnet photo: Julee Murphy/2010)

A perfect book for Thanksgiving

One is a Feast for a Mouse

A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Little mouse discovers that you should never let your eyes grow bigger than your stomach when you are hungry.
Read this charming book to find out how mouse learns a lesson about the difference between being greedy and
being thankful.

Book Trailer-Piper Reed, Navy Brat

I have decided to let my library classes (grades 3-5) decide which Piper Reed book trailer will be uploaded to Teacher Tube. Two songs both seemed to fit "Piper". One is upbeat and perky like Piper and the other has a homey and family feel about it. Hmmmm, I wonder which one will be chosen. I think I have decided on my choice.

Kids will receive a score sheet that allows them to rate the music chosen for the video.

Using a scale score from 1-3 (three being a best music-video match).

Is the music a good match for the book trailer?

Does the music fit Piper's personality?

Does the music fit the tone of the story?

Choice A-Piper Reed, Navy Brat

Choice B-Piper Reed, Navy Brat

Thing 17: Rollyo: My Librarian's Toolkit

Rollyo was a nice surprise. No longer will I have to continually create customized print outs of trusted research sites for elementary students, I can direct them to the site, or simply print out my Rollyo search engine list. My Rollyo is called: Librarian's Toolkit. I could not believe the name was available. I inserted several useful websites that I could remember, and within five minutes, I had my very own customized, julee murphy approved, search engine. The only snafu I ran into was trying to set it up on my Foxfire. I believe the answer can be found in the teacher tube video, but my Rollyo account also froze up when I tried to save some edits, so I will have to return to it later.

Did I ever say how much I am learning from the 23 things? So cool.

Thing 16: I am a Wiki Freak

I am all into Wiki and subscribe to the free and ad-free educational wikis from wikispaces. They are incredibly easy to set up and manipulate. Wikispaces often offers free webinars in real time so you can ask and receive answers from its moderators. They have video tutorials that show step by step methods of creating wikis. The most recent webinar was a cultural education exchange webinar in which an American school collaborated with a school in Hati on a wiki. It was amazing-the learning and sharing that was taking place.

I first used wikispaces a year ago as a way to present at the ME(2) by the SEa Mathematics and Science Conference. I introduced useful mathematics web sites and online games that could serve to help strengthen students math skills by engaging them in fun, but helpful practice. My new wiki is now under construction-a Kids Book Club that I will be using to promoting book discussions, book clubs, book trailers, and book voting.

Wikis are so easy and the possibilities for their uses are practically endless. I am a such a wikifan.

Life in the Future

Living life in the future is better than I ever expected! The Jetsons really had it right! A machine for our every need. As a kid having to endure long car trips, I had always wished for a hamburger machine that with the push of a button would produce a hot, delicious hamburger. Boy, that would have made having to play the "don't cross this line" game with my sisters more bearable.

Technology and the ease of internet use have added so much to the field of education. My lessons have more punch as I am able to integrate sound, images, and live action to support the lessons.

Lately, I have created some book trailers as teasers to introduce students to new titles. Introducing students to authors and illustrators via their websites or sites such as Scholastic that also provide games, trivia, and trailers make a teacher/librarian's job much easier and fun!
Life in the future is great!

Book Trailers for Bluebonnets

Today I am creating a book trailer to introduce my students to the 2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Nominees. When searching for book jacket images I came across a Blog devoted to the Bluebonnet awards. I hope we can compare notes. This is our first year for Bluebonnet voting. I hope our kids will be as excited about it as I am. If I finish the trailer soon, I will post it to my Book Egg Blog.